


Chamomile

by notzenyatta



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Sickfic, The Author Blissfully Ignores Any Events Which Occur Post-Season 12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-16 12:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18094112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notzenyatta/pseuds/notzenyatta
Summary: “As Oscar Wilde once said-“Reid begins, and abruptly doubles over to sneeze. Unperturbed, he continues.“'Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others. Health is the primary duty of life.'”“uh-huh”, Says Luke.





	Chamomile

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank buckybunnyteeth, who's fics have wounded me mortally in the best way possible.

 

“As Oscar Wilde once said-“

 

Reid begins, and abruptly doubles over to sneeze. Unperturbed, he continues.

 

“'Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others. Health is the primary duty of life.'”

 

“uh-huh”. 

 

Says Luke, rummaging around a cabinet that could serve dutifully in place of a game of jenga. He’s still learning the precise location of everything in Spencer’s crowded apartment. It makes no organizational sense to him, but the resident Dr. never seems to find anything out of place. 

 

“Which is ironic, considering that he died of cerebral meningitis”.

 

Spencer muses, as Luke’s fingers finally make purchase on a box of chamomile tea. It’s not gonna fix his boyfriend’s insomnia, but it might get him to hunker down for a while.

 

"You know, even though at the time of his death the average life expectancy for white males was only forty-seven years... someone of his wealth and status should have lived a lot longer.”

 

Reid sneezes again and marks something in his _uncensored_ copy of _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ with a pink glittery gel pen given to him by Penelope. 

 

“I don’t really know what you’re getting at, _cariño_ ”

 

Luke says patiently, and Spencer huffs. 

 

“What I’m saying, is that you shouldn’t encourage me to lie down and be sick”.

 

“I’m not encouraging you to be sick, man.” Luke counters. " I’m encouraging you to put the books down and rest for a bit. Thats the only way you’re gonna get better.”

 

“You’re disgracing oscar”

 

Reid says nonchalantly, jotting something down in the margins. 

 

“What is it with you and Wilde lately, anyways?”

 

Luke calls over his shoulder, filling a teakettle with water to set on the stove. _Dorian_ seems to be attached Spencer's hand lately, and has been for far longer than he normally carries a book around. 

 

“I’m encouraging my sexual deviance”

 

Luke has to laugh at that, partially because of the way he says it. Completely factual. As if theres no difference between enabling one’s erotic fixations and trying a different brand of toothpaste.

 

Also, for a bisexual male, Spencer is incredibly vanilla.

“Yeah? It’s about time.”

 

Spencer sniffs indignantly. As a way of expressing his distaste or as a result of his cold, Luke will never know. 

 

“Yes, I forgot that you’re the king of deviant intercourse.”

 

He has a point. Luke considers himself a romantic more than anything. This was true even before he joined the BAU, where he had to face the reality that some people get their sexual release from murder. 

 

Spencer puts the book down, _finally_ , and stretches out on his sofa. He’s wearing one of Luke’s hoodies, and even if Luke is almost as certifiably vanilla as his boyfriend, something inside of him purrs at seeing his Spencer in his clothing. 

 

Maybe he has a slight possessive streak. Its not like Spence doesn’t go out of his way to sneak off with some of Luke’s laundry, though. 

 

“What I mean by sexual deviance, is…”

 

“Being out?”

 

Luke asks, handing Spencer his favorite mug- some ancient thing he’s had since high school with a quote from Tesla thats so worn out it’s indecipherable. Spencer takes it, then nimbly grasps the string attached to the teabag and wraps it around the mug’s handle.

 

“Yeah. I guess I spent too long terrified of what would happen if I did, and reading _Dorian_ through a veil of self-pity.”

 

Luke nods, shuffling to sit beside him on the sofa. Like most things in Spencer’s apartment it’s been worn into a comfortable shape from years of use, and is also covered in books. If Luke wants to sit on any surface meant for sitting here, at least three volumes are going to have to give up their place first. Maybe Spencer needs more bookshelves. Although, Luke doesn’t see where he would conceivably put them. Maybe he just needs a bigger apartment. 

 

“I get that. Sometimes it’s just easier to be in the closet. Even if there might not be huge consequences for coming out, the fear is as real any reason as any to stay hidden.”

 

Spencer nods, and flashes him one of those sweet smiles of his. 

 

“Yeah. But now that I know that it's for the better”-

 

He nudges Luke with his knee

 

“I can read Dorian again and just be grateful that I didn’t get exiled from society with my only novel used as evidence against me during my trial”. 

 

Luke grins. “Yeah, cause they’d use those notes you leave in my go-bag”.

 

Spencer flushes- this time not from illness.

 

His notes to Luke are nothing _risqué_ \- Just goofy romantic snippets for him to stumble across later. Also, they’re coded. Spencer was elated when he learned that Luke knew several ciphers, and took the liberty of making sure their knowledge overlapped. 

 

“Wh- I...”-

 

Spencer stammers before finding his words.

 

“What I mean, is that we don’t live in the mid-late late eighteen-hundreds.”

 

“And thank god for that.”

 

Spencer grins at him again and begins to sip his tea as they share a companionable silence. It’s almost 4:00 in the morning- only slightly past when Spencer usually retires to bed. It’s also almost, almost, the time of night when the grating chatter of the busy streets outside dies down to a sleepy murmur.

 

Luke has a game plan. Wait until its quiet, and keep all conversation as intellectually lackluster as possible (Spencer has a habit of excitedly running off to find a book which relates to any topic that could suddenly trigger his interest). If that, combined with the magical properties of chamomile tea gets him even slightly sleepy, Luke figures he has a pretty good chance of getting him to rest for a little while. 

 

Luke doesn’t even stop to wonder when he started repurposing his military strategy training for things like getting his sick boyfriend to sleep for once. He would’t have it any other way, though. He knows he easily profiles as taking comfort in maintaining control, but lately it feels more like he takes comfort in making sure he can take care of the people he loves the most.

 

It goes without saying that Spencer takes care of him just as much, but his care is more different than Luke's. 

 

It's in the things like his ciphered love-notes. How he makes sure to read and summarize any pertinent articles about recent military endeavors that Luke might want to be up to date on, but wouldn't want to read himself for fear of triggering his PTSS. He’s been (to his knowledge, secretly, but Spencer tends to accidentally misplace his things) brushing up on his Spanish language skills after Luke offhandedly mentioned how important speaking it with his loved ones is to him.

 

Luke catches himself gazing, and is briefly elated over the fact that he doesn’t need an excuse to look at Spencer. The man currently under observation has his hands folded on his chest, having finished his tea a few minutes ago.  His nose is lightly red from being ill, but its more adorable than anything. His curls are in typical disarray, also adorable.

 

He’s just adorable all around, Luke thinks. Even as he sneezes again. The sneeze seems to startle him out of a his contemplative stupor, and he looks directly at Luke. 

 

“Actually, I take it back.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I take it back. If I was in the mid-late eighteen-hundreds I’d have the opportunity to study the Jack the Ripper case up close and personal.”

 

Luke laughs, and then suddenly panics. Now is not the time for Spencer to get invested in his Ripper case theories. But, to his surprise, Spence yawns and stretches like a cat, and reaches a hand up to rub at his eyes. 

 

_ yes _

 

“Hey… I think it’s about time we bunk down for the night”.

 

Luke says, reaching over to brush his hand over his boyfriend’s. Spencer blinks at him, the reflections of his lamp-lit apartment shining in his brown eyes. Luke’s chest twists in a way that he’s become used to, lately. 

 

“Alright, hang on.”

 

He moves to push himself up off the sofa, but Luke gets up first, and extends his arms. Spencer squints him, clearly making sleep-addled calculations. 

 

“I don't wanna get you sick…”

 

He mumbles, but hooks his arms around Luke’s shoulders anyways so he can help him up.

 

“You wont”

 

Luke promises. He and Spencer are both standing upright, but neither of them seem to want to move yet. As corny as it sounds, Luke feels like he would be content to stay in this moment forever, and wraps his arms snugly around Spencer’s waist. 

 

“How come?”

 

Reid murmurs. The way his eyelashes brush against Luke’s cheek almost makes him forget what they were talking about. 

 

“You... wont get me sick because I have an excellent immune system”

 

“Ah, I see. You ate dirt as a kid”

 

“Yeah, and worms. Normal kid stuff. Unlike the guy who stayed indoors and taught himself the Reichstein process all day”

 

Spencer giggles and noses behind Luke’s ear, leaving a soft kiss there.

 

“Thats gross”

 

“What, the Reichstein process?”

 

“Nooo”

 

Spencer says, letting Luke lead him into the bedroom. 

 

“Although, worms contain a pretty high level of protein”.

 

Reid comments, shuffling his feet as he follows Luke into the attached bathroom, where he's already uncapping the toothpaste. After almost six months of being together, many of Luke’s belongings have migrated into Spencer’s place, with just as many of Spencer’s at his. Although, most of Luke’s belongings that have taken up residence with his boyfriend are shirts and hoodies. 

 

Again, not that Luke exactly _minds_. 

 

“Did you know that earthworms are the completely ideal diet of a creature called the Axolotl? They can survive on nothing else because their nutritional makeup meets the needs of the axolotl perfectly.”

 

Luke wonders how he can ramble about worms and brush his teeth at the same time. 

 

“I didn’t know that. Is an axolotl one of those salamanders that they’re trying to use to cure cancer?”

 

“Yeah!” 

 

Reid says, enthusiastic despite being as sleepy as he is. 

 

“They’re highly important in current medical research because of their extreme regenerative capabilities”

 

He continues, as Luke chases his night-time meds with a glass of water. 

 

“Did you know that an eye taken from one axolotl and transplanted onto a different axolotl has the capability to become fully functional?”

 

“I didn’t, no. Thats wild.”

 

Luke says with a yawn, and hastily wraps an arm around his boyfriend to get him into bed before he talks about funky little salamanders until the sun comes up.

 

“Yeah, they’re also”-

 

Reid is interrupted by a sneeze as he flops unceremoniously into bed. 

 

“-Only native to the area in and around Mexico City, and”…

 

He yawns deeply as Luke climbs into bed next to him with slightly more grace. Spencer immediately cozies up against him, snuggling his fluffy hair under Luke’s chin, and hums in contentment as Luke wraps his arms around his middle once again. This time when he talks, its not about Oscar Wilde, or axolotls. 

 

“You’re so good to me…”

 

Spencer mumbles, pushing his words into the front of Luke’s shirt like he’s embarrassed to say them. Luke practically feels his affection for him bubble in his chest, and shifts so he can kiss the corner of his mouth. 

 

“You’re good to me too, you know”

 

Luke murmurs, and feels Spencer grin against his cheek, and sighs when one of his nimble hands moves up to run through his dark curls. 

 

And then, for the briefest moment, their universe is suspended in quiet. 

 

No sounds from the street below, or the neighbors wedged behind every wall permeate their bubble of calm. As rare as that is, coupled with Spencer’s slow and even breathing in place of endless chatter, the near silence is almost mythical.

 

… Luke doesn’t know how he can already miss hearing his boyfriend talk after less than a minute. 

 

Spencer shifts a little, and sleepily brings his arms up around Luke’s shoulders like a koala. He’s already half unconscious, but somehow he still manages to mumble a reply.

 

“Luke... I love you an axo _lot_ l”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know a lot about axolotls, earthworms, and Oscar Wilde. Unfortunately, I do not know nearly as much about Jack The Ripper as I would like to, or as Reid does.
> 
> I would love to write more of these lovely lads, so fee free to send any ideas my way. 
> 
> Criminal Minds (Tumblr) sideblog: @reidsuggest


End file.
